Thomas x sloan



THOMAS J. SLOAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FLOAT-GAGE, FEED-REGULATOR, &o., FOR STEAIVLBOILERS, &c.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 8,912, dated April 27, 1852.

To all whom it 'may concern.'

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. SLoAN, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Method of Indicating and Regulating the Height of Water in Steam and otherl Boilers, which said improvements are also applicable to all other vessels in which it may be desired to indicate and regulate the height of water and other fluids,

and that the following is a full, clear, and

exact description thereof, reference being j had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this speciiicatiomin which- Figure l, represents a front elevation of` my improvements as applied to a steaml boiler; Fig. 2, an inside view of the head of the boiler; Fig. 3, a longitudinal vertical section of the boiler; and Fig. 4, a section representing a modification.

`The Same letters indicate like parts all the figures.

As it has been generally admitteduthat the deficiency of water isione of the principal causes of explosion of steam boilers, many i inventions have been made for the purpose` of indicating the deficiency and regulating the supply with the view to prevent eX-'L plosions, but so far without success. Any apparatus for this purpose to be good and `useful, must be unerring in its operation,

otherwise it will be positivelybad, for it will be relied on by the attendant who will substitute its workingfor his own attention and thus occasion many accidents which his ,j vigilance might prevent. A float Vhas `generally been resorted to, as the means of indicating the level of water within the boiler and of communicating motion to the mech-` anism for regulating the supply of Water;

but as the float is within the boiler, and the indicator and machinery for regulating the supply is outside, a connection has always` been made through the shell `of lthe boiler,

which, to prevent the escape of water and steam, must be packed, and which therefore from friction and varying strain and the liability to clog prevents the freedom of play of the iioat, and destroys that sensitiveness indispensable to an accurate indication of the varying level of water in the boiler. And the use of the float as a means of communicating the required motion to an alarm` or to the apparatus which eifects orrregulates the supply, throws too heavy a duty to operate an alarm or the` apparatus which supplies or regulates the supply of water, but simply to check or control a mechanism which is to be impelled by a motive force outside and independent of the float. And to these ends the nature of my invention consists in the employment of an independent float withina steam or other boiler or other vessel, which as its position is varied bythe changeof level ofthe water, shall `act as a stop or check to the motions of a mechanism operated by an independent motive` `force outside `the boiler, and thus by varying the point of stop or check bythe varying level of the water pendent motive force whatever on the apparatus that supcause the indeplies the water, `to increase or check the supply, or an indicator, or a whistle or other alarm. And my invention also consists in having said float hung to one arm of a rock shaft, when the said `shaft is provided with another arm which acts as the stop or check to determine the range of motion of the mechansim operated by the independent motive force outside the boiler so that when such mechanism is brought in contact with and is checked by the said arm of the float, it shall not affect the position ofthe oat.

In the accompanying drawings a, represents' the head of a. steam boiler, and b, a float within the boiler, and attached to the outer end of an arm c, of a rock shaft d, which is hung in suitable bearings so as tobe free to act. To avoid the deposit of sediment `on the journals which` might impede its `free emotion, the rock shaft may be hung abovethe high watermark. This `rock shaft carries another arm e, which at its outer end has an eccentric segment or tangent piece f, with teeth on its edge. Sio far all this is 4entirely within the boiler and needs no packed joints, so that the float will Y f be free to move with `the varying level of water. Another rock shaft g, passes through the boiler and should be provided in the usual manner with a packed joint to prevent the escape of steam or water. The outer end of this shaft carries an arm h, which is drawn or forced downward by a spring z', or weight or other equivalent force which must be sufficient to overcome any friction or check due to the packing of the joints or any tendency which they may have to adhere. On the outer end of this arm there is a wrist pin y', which is embraced by an elongated hole or slot 7c, in a rod Z, which is to'be connectedl with and operated by some motor. If the boiler be used for a steam engine, then this rod Z, can receive the required reciprocating motion from some part of the engine, or it can receive the required motion from a crank (Z) kept in motion by a train lof wheels'and spring or weight as represented in the drawings at m. But however the ymotion be communicated, the rod Z, must be kept in motion so that as it is drawn in the direction of the arrow it will liftup the arm of the rock shaft, and on kthe return motion permit it to bel drawn down by the spring e'. On the inner end of the said rock shaft and within the boiler there is another arm m, with a pin n, so located as to come in contact with the teeth Aon the stop arm ofthe float, and thus check or stop the downward motion of the arm, andas the toothed face of the arm is eccentric or forms an inclined plane, the arm vwill be checked or stopped sooner when the float is up than when it is downj'and as the rod Z, on the outside slides on vthe wrist pin of the outer arm, the direction of the mo? tion of this rodv as it reciprocates will be varied, and bemade to act variously for the supply of water. Asfor instance, when the float sinks down to the dotted line 0,

below low water mark, which indicates a dangerous condition of the boiler, the rod Z,

will act on a lever 0, which is to be connected with a whistle or other alarm to call the attention of the engineer, &c. YWhen the float is carried too high, say to the dotted line g, above the high watermark, the rod Z, actsvon another lever @connected with the same-or some other alarm. 1

Between the two alarm levers .77, and r, there is'another lever s, with itstwo arms inclined to each other and provided with teeth resembling ratchet teeth. This lever can be attached to a stop-cock, valve or other apparatus for regulating the flow of waterY The end of the rod Z, is

into the boiler. formed to actvon the teeth of the lever s, and as the float continuesto sink from the *A .true water level, the rod `continues to act further and further on the lower arm of the levers, and hence to increase the supply ofv water. And as the float continues to rise *fromy the true water level the rod Z, will have Vthe reversed action on the lever s, and hence gradually close the supply cook or valve and thus reduce the supply. In this way it will be seen that the iioat is perfectly free to follow the level of the wat-er except during the instant of time that the arm of the rock shaft is stopped by the stop arm of the float, and then as the action on the stop arm is in a radial or nearly radial direction and the stoparm is provided with teeth, the independent motive force outside can have no tendency to change the position of the float which is again released and free to follow the level of water in the boiler. As the motion of the rod for operating the supply apparatus or'tlie alarm is derived from the engine or some independent motor, any amount of force can be given to it to insure working. And finally as the rocker which acts on the stop arm of the floatl and which guides the rod that acts on the supply apparatus or the alarms is worked in one direc- Y tion by the independent motor, and in the other by a spring or weight or in both by the independent motor, it will be obvious that there can be no danger of this motion being arrested or checked by the packing: or sticking of the joints.

It will be obvious that instead yof the spring z' or weight for drawing down the arm h, of the rock shaft, that this can be done as represented in section (Fig. 4,) by a spring t, interposed between the wrist pin y', of thearm h, and the inner end of the slot in the rod Z.l

' It will be obvious that this method of indicating the level of water and regulating the supply or giving an alarm can be applied to all kinds of boilers, such'as boilers for heating houses land to any vessels in which it may bel desired to indicatey the height of water and regulate the supply.

AThe mechanism operated by any motive force and which is regulated in'itsmotions or .positions can be employed to operate any kind of indicator, alarm or water feeding or regulating apparatus. I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the constructionl and arrangement of parts hereinabove described, as these may Y be varied without changing the principle 0r mode of operation of my invention.

I am aware that a float placed within a boiler or within a vessel communicating with aboiler has been employed to regulate the position of ratchet hands operated by an independent mechanism to open and close a valve, cock, or regulate the motion of Va pump, theV said float being employed simply to engage or disengage the said ratchet hands, but when so employed the saidv iioat has been so arranged as to act on thesaid mechanism outside the boiler, &c., and hence subjected Vto the vdifficulties above pointed out.` I do not therefore claim bro-adly Vthe employment of a oat to regulate the action of an independent mechanism as a means of indicating the height of water and regulatiso I ing the supply thereof, when such float acts upon such mechanism outside of the boiler.

\ But What I do claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is* l. The employment substantially as described, of `an independent float Wit-hin a steam or other boiler, or other vessel, which as its position is varied by the change of level of the Water, shall act as a cheek or stop to the motion of a mechanism combined therewith, and operated by an independent motive force outside of and passing through to the inside of the boiler, substantially as 

